L’Oreal is furthering its stake in the mobile space by partnering with commerce platform PowaTag to enable users to purchase beauty products by scanning cosmetics in magazine ads or in stores with their smartphones, proving that scan-to-shop abilities are still a hit with consumers. The makeup brand has teamed up with the international commerce specialist to transform any consumer touch point into a possibility for a mobile transaction to occur, from print advertisements and social media to in-store products. L’Oreal will be able to help customers circumvent long checkout lines and streamline the entire shopping process via the new app.

Worried about ATM fraud, several Brazilian banks began rolling out machines equipped with fingerprint readers. Undeterred, criminals began severing the fingers of account holders to gain access to their money, says Frank Natoli, chief innovation officer at Diebold. One of the world’s top suppliers of ATMs, Diebold is working with some of the country’s banks to switch over to palm-vein-recognition systems. “We made sure people can’t abscond with other people’s digits,” he says. As biometric authentication systems for banking and mobile payments go mainstream, criminals are honing techniques—some gruesome, some elegant—to overcome the systems’ much hyped security. “The faster the …

One of the big opportunities for brands on smartwatches is likely to be notifications, but the killer application that can drive mass adoption is yet to be built. Smartwatches enable users to take immediate action, eliminating the need to pull out a smartphone, enter a passcode and open an app. While smartwatch notifications offer the benefit of being interactive, savvy marketers will need to make sure they create succinct, contextual experiences to guide users as the screen size is so small and the devices are still new. 

Mobile commerce (m-commerce) firm Paytm on Friday said Tata Group Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata has invested an undisclosed amount in the company. His investment in Paytm is in his personal capacity, the m-commerce firm said in a statement.  "I am very happy that Mr Tata has put faith and trust in our values and mission. There is no better advisor than him to help us build India's most trusted mobile payment and commerce platform," Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said. Mr Tata had also made personal investments in homegrown e-commerce players like Snapdeal and Urban Ladder last year. 

While consumers and luxury watchmakers awaited the Apple Watch, other brands chose to focus on its app possibilities. After much anticipation, the Apple Watch has been revealed, but fresh expectations arise as apps are created for the new technology. Starwood Hotels & Resorts and automaker BMW are among the brands developing and releasing apps for the watch that will connect with affluent consumers captivated by the newest technology and looking for better high-touch service.

Branding Brand Inc. has raised $14.5 million from investors, according to a filingwith the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The mobile commerce company, which launched in 2008, is based on the South Side. Calls to CEO Christopher Masonwere not returned. It was the largest funding round to date for Branding Brand, which raised $9.5 million in a Series B round in September 2013.

The World Tourism Organisation has reported that one of the primary socio-economic development drivers in Africa is the growing tourism industry, and mobile technology is playing an increasing role in the boom of international visitors to countries across that continent. FNB Business niches head, Wiza Nyondo, explained that “Tourism in Africa continues to prove its resilience despite numerous challenges across the continent. In South Africa, the sector faces challenges such as the lack of consistent power supply and restrained economic growth. However, a weaker Rand mitigates some of these factors as the country remains a cost-effective destination for international travelers.” …

One-third of airline boarding passes will be delivered via mobile devices by 2019, supporting efforts to drive mobile ticket purchases, according to a new report from Juniper Research. Juniper Research is predicting that consumers will soon see the evolution of airline ticketing, with mobile becoming a significant channel, as it often acts as both the means used to enter the airport or venue and the payment receipt. The company is predicting that by 2019, more than 1.5 billion boarding passes will be issued via mobile to travelers, as opposed to the 746 million mobile passes expected to be delivered this …

Having launched their first Square Reader years ago, Square has always been focused on developing even better hardware and improving the way the product is built. Several card readers – and one Square Stand – later, Square is still keen on building devices that are thinner, smarter, more accurate, and more reliable than what’s come before. The payments landscape is changing faster than ever, withEMV and NFC introducing new requirements. Square’s goal has always been to continue to make the smartest payments hardware accessible to its customers. With this onward focus, Square has acquired Kili Technology, a company that has developed …

Fontainebleau Miami Beach is leveraging mobile to ease guests’ experiences at the hotel through options that do not require an application download. With hotel software creator StayNTouch, Fontainebleau is recognizing the demand for mobile options while understanding the hesitation among guests to download an app they will only use while at the hotel. Fontainebleau’s dedication to best accommodating their consumer through digital touch points may set a precedent that focuses on mobile Web, not mobile apps.